Barry Hers recalls early backing of New York City’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration programs

Property investor and real estate professional Barry Hers looks back on his early adoption of HIV/AIDS Services Administration housing programs in New York City.

New York City real estate professional and property investor Barry Hers has enjoyed an illustrious, decades-long career during which he’s supported a wide variety of charities and good causes throughout the city. From the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to the city’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration’s emergency housing schemes, the property sector veteran reflects on his support for early efforts to safely house those suffering from AIDS and associated illnesses.

“Beginning in the 1990s, I’ve continued to support New York City’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration, or HASA, for almost 30 years now,” reveals Hers, who’s based in the southwesternmost part of Brooklyn, close to two of his investment properties, both of which have been volunteered in support of HASA and Emergency Rental Assistance Program initiatives.

First established in New York City in 1985, HASA was founded to assist individuals living with AIDS and HIV-related illnesses, so that they may live healthier and more independent lives. Initially becoming involved with the organization’s early housing programs during the 1990s, Barry Hers was among New York City’s first landlords to embrace the cause.

“Throughout the years, I’ve housed many hundreds of tenants as part of both emergency and non-emergency HASA housing programs,” Barry Hers reveals, “at properties such as 60 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, and a further, nearby address on Flatbush Avenue, among others.”

60 Clarkson Avenue is a particularly noteworthy property, having undergone a multi-million dollar renovation project courtesy of Hers before being entered into HASA’s housing schemes, as well as New York City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. “We successfully transformed 60 Clarkson Avenue into a truly wonderful place to live in the bustling borough of Brooklyn,” adds Hers of the popular and well-known apartment building.

Furthermore, Hers has brokered numerous deals on various other properties for HASA programs in the city during the last three decades. “I’ve also worked closely with fellow landlords in New York City to persuade them, too, to support the organization’s much-called-for housing programs as demand for properties has grown over the years,” he adds, wrapping up.

In addition to housing support, other HASA solutions currently available include assistance in helping to successfully apply for services such as Medicaid, cash assistance, transportation assistance, mental health screening, substance abuse screening, treatment referrals, and employment and vocational services. For more information regarding HASA, please visit: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/hiv-aids-services.page